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Don't just exist but live - maximise life's most precious commodity- Find out How in Seneca's book - 'On the shortness of Life'

On The Shortness of Life

This was written almost 2000 years ago (around ad 49) by the great stoic philosopher Seneca the younger and it has great lessons for everyone on what is important and what is not. 

You should definitely read it. It is not long. I have put a put interesting points and links to summaries and the full text below. Enjoy!

Don't just exist but live - maximise  life's most precious commodity

'You have been preoccupied while life hastens on. Meanwhile death will arrive, and you have no choice in making yourself available for that'

You think you will live for ever and waste time

'You are living as if destined to live for ever; your own frailty never occurs to you; you don't notice how much time has already passed, but squander it as though you had a full and overflowing supply - though all the while that very day which you are devoting to somebody or something may be your last. You act like mortals in all that you fear, and like immortals in all that you desire. You will hear many people saying: 'When I am fifty I shall retire into leisure; when I am sixty I shall give up public duties.' And what guarantee do you have of a longer life? Who will allow your course to proceed as you arrange it? Aren't you ashamed to keep for yourself just the remnants of your life, and to devote to wisdom only that time which cannot be spent on any business? How late it is to begin really to live just when life must end! How stupid to forget our mortality, and put off sensible plans to our fiftieth and sixtieth years, aiming to begin life from a point at which few have arrived! '

Most people waste life with no direction. They are just tossed about by external events and end up going nowhere

,For suppose you should think that a man had had a long voyage who had been caught in a raging storm as he left harbour, and carried hither and thither and driven round and round in a circle by the rage of opposing winds? He did not have a long voyage, just a long tossing about,.

You have control of your life, don't blame your parents or your environment. You can change who you are and how you respond.

'We are in the habit of saying that it was not in our power to choose the parents who were allotted to us, that they were given to us by chance. But we can choose whose children we would like to be'

Guard your time

'Be careful of others who sabotage your time.How many days are left to you and not taken by others?

How many days has that defendant stolen from you? Or that candidate?....Or that influential friend who keeps people like you not for friendship but for display? Mark off, I tell you, and review the days of your life: you will see that very few - the useless remnants - have been left to you.'

Don't waste time on useless tasks

'dedication to useless tasks'

Have goals

'Many pursue no fixed goal, but are tossed about in everchanging designs by a fickleness which is shifting, inconstant and never satisfied with itself. Some have no aims at all for their life's course, but death takes them unawares as they yawn languidly'

Organise and plan your day. A good way to do this is a daily journal

'But the man who spends all his time on his own needs, who organizes every day as though it were his last, neither longs for nor fears the next day'

  

Live in  the moment

'But putting things off is the biggest waste of life: it snatches away each day as it comes, and denies us the present by promising the future. The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and loses today. You are arranging what lies in Fortune's control, and abandoning what lies in yours'

Summary

Value your time and don't waste it. Most people know this but don't do this. Common sense is not common practice

Don't put things off. Live in the present.

Do not waste time on trivial worries.

Plan and organise your time.

LInks 

Link to summary: https://dailystoic.com/on-the-shortness-of-life-seneca/

Link to summary: https://jamesclear.com/book-summaries/on-the-shortness-of-life

Link to full book:  https://epdf.tips/on-the-shortness-of-life-penguin-great-ideas.html

Link to full book: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/On_the_shortness_of_life

Jim Rohn - 10 Steps to Achieving Anything You Want (Jim Rohn Personal Development)

Interesting video  by the great Jim Rohn on 10 Steps to achieve anything you want.

What do you wish for? What is important in life?

At the end of our lives, what do we most wish for? For many, it’s simply comfort, respect, love. BJ Miller is a palliative care physician who thinks deeply about how to create a dignified, graceful end of life for his patients. Take the time to savor this moving talk, which asks big questions about how we think on death and honor life.

What Is Life? 10 Secrets For A Successful Life

What is Life? Why are we here? What is the purpose? What is the reason?

In the east they talk of the purpose of life being Moksa or release/escape from the bondage of samsara (birth /death /rebirth).

Purpose

In my view it is about finding a purpose. This has been eloquently phrased by both  Steve Jobs and Benjamin Franklin,

"Make a dent" in the universe"....Steve Jobs

"If you would not be forgotten
  before you are old and rotten.
  Then write something worth reading
  or live something worth writing".........Benjamin Franklin.

I.e. you should try to do something worthwhile that will be remembered in 200 to 400 years.
So how do we go about it. Try these 10 secrets to have a successful life.

1. Remember Life is Short

In 49AD (almost 2000 years ago), Lucius Seneca (known as Seneca the Younger) wrote on the shortness of time. He says that time is the  most valuable currency not money.
He finds it strange that people are so stingy with their money and free with their time when their time is more important.
He also finds it crazy that people work all their lives and then retire when they are too old to enjoy the time they have. You should really take mini-retirements when you are younger.

So as we realize that life is short and we are looking for a purpose, how should we act?
Try these strategies...

2.Learn the rules

"Learn the rules like a pro, so you can  break them like an artist"....Picasso

You need to learn the  rules of life and  what you can and can't do.

3.Enjoy Life

"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it is about learning to dance in  the  rain"

Before you know it, your time will be up. So learn to enjoy every moment of life.

4.Create your vision

"Everything you can imagine is real"....Pablo Picasso.

People often think that certain things are impossible but if you can imagine you can create it so go and do it. Everyone thought that running a mile under 4 minutes was impossible for a human but as soon as Roger Banister broke this record, many people did it.

5.Collaborate

There is a great fable called Stone soup. It talks about the secret to get anything is to create something together. People want to be part of something good.

6.Expect change.

"You can't step into the  same river twice"....Heraclitus (as the river would have changed and you would have changed).

Everything changes so you should expect change.
In 1894 there was a big horse manure problem in New York. There were so many carriages with so many horses and their manure was acidic. It was piling up on the streets and dissolving buildings.
Everyone thought it would be a disaster but then the car was invented and this problem disappeared.
Things will always  change.

7.Focus on what you want

"Your current conditions do not reflect your innate potential, rather the size and quality of the goals you are currently focusing on " ......Tony Robbins.

As William Whitecloud says in his excellent book , The Magician's Way,  your thoughts create your reality so make sure you focus on a compelling, exciting, positive vision.

8.Make your Goals bigger than your problems

People focus on their problems and then wonder why they are feeling depressed, negative and anxious.
From an evolutionary point of view we are hard wired to focus and prioritize dangers. This was great for stone age man as he was ready for any attacking animals. It is however not so good for us now as we focus on the negative still. This is why bad news sells more than good news.
So we need to counteract this and focus on the positive.
The best cure I know for anxiety is to make your goals so much bigger than your problems that your problems become insignificant.

9.Learn to Negotiate

In life you get what you negotiate, not what you deserve so learn to negotiate.

10.Fake it 

The brain processes information.When you see your your hand and when you imagine your hand the brain processes both of these. It doesn't really notice the difference (they both occur in area 17 of the visual cortex).
So if you focus on acting as if you are already where you want to be, your reality will match your vision.

Students rise to the level of their expectation so if you act as if it were true and truly believe in it and it will become reality.

Start with why -- how great leaders inspire action | Simon Sinek | TEDxP...

Here is an amazing, inspiring and thought provoking talk by Simon Sinek: Start with why - how great leaders inspire action
Why is your purpose, it is your reason for doing what you do. Now imagine if you could find 100 whys. (reasons.) How powerful would that be. The more whys that you can discover, the more powerful that you will become. Why (purpose) is the first cornerstone of your success talisman. The more whys (reasons), the more power. One why gets the ball rolling, but you need to find as many whys as you can.

What really matters at the end of life | BJ Miller

At the end of our lives, what do we most wish for? For many, it’s simply comfort, respect, love. BJ Miller is a palliative care physician who thinks deeply about how to create a dignified, graceful end of life for his patients. Take the time to savor this moving talk, which asks big questions about how we think on death and honor life.

TRANSFORM IN A WEEK AND MAKE 2018 THE BEST YEAR EVER

Einstein said to do the same thing over and over again and to expect different results is insanity.


We are approaching the end of February and this year is speeding past. New Year's resolutions have probably disappeared from sight. Before you know it this year would have passed by and it will the 31st December and you will be wondering, where did this year go?


STOP!


Now Imagine it is the 31st Dec and you are at a New Year's party and someone asks you what you did this year. Suddenly you have a big smile and you proceed to say how you are the healthiest you've ever been, in the best shape of your life, having a great job and feeling happy and it all started when you did the 'Transform in a week' process back in February. So START NOW and get ready to feel proud at the end of this year.
The transform in a week process has 7 steps, one for each day.Ideally do it with a friend as you can encourage each other. Good luck and keep me informed how it goes.




TRANSFORM IN A WEEK PROCESS

Day 1 Find a central place for your notes

Have you ever had a really good day where you have learnt a lot but then a few weeks later you can't remember what you did or how you did it. In this transformative  process you will be creating lasting change, so make sure you have notes that you can access easily and refer to constantly.
You could use a note taking app (Evernote or Onenote (for Microsoft fans), or Workflowy (if you like lists) or just write in a notebook. Whatever you do choose one before the end of the day.


Day 2 Goals

Set goals for the year. Remember when you were a kid and you were excited at Christmas. If you set the right goals, you will wake up in a similarly happy state.
Spend a good amount of time and just write all the goals you want to do.
Switch your critic off and just let your brain come out with what you would love to do. For each goal be specific, what would you like by when.
Lots of people focus on just money or fitness and then feel unfulfilled because they haven't thought about the 8 sides of their life. So as you are writing your goals, classify them in the following 8 headings and  make sure you have goals in each area.

1)Physical/Health
2)Financial
3)Spirtual
4)Mental
5)Family
6)Contribution/Social
7)Vocation
8)Fun

Think about these goals before you go to sleep and let your subconcious work on them. Thomas Edison used to this and enables you to use all the amazing resources of your subconscious to drive you to success.


Day 3 Make a Compelling Vision

With all the goals you have written choose the top 3 and write them down and put them

a) Next to your bed
b) In your wallet / purse

You should look at these all the time and say them out loud every morning and night.

Also create a vision board with all your goals. This will be a board with all pictures of your successful goals. Again put this next to your bed so you see it constantly.


Day 4 Reason why

This is the big one.
Victor Frankl in his amazing book 'Man's search for Meaning ' wrote that the people who survived the terrors of  the  concentration camps where the ones with a reason why. If you have a big enough why you can bear any how.
A good trick is to make it not about yourself. Think if you can succeed you can provide for your kids or your parents or your loved ones.
So think about your reason why. Make it a big one as this is what will drive you to success.


Day 5 Feedback system

Once you have your goals and direction you need to know when you getting closer or further away so you need some feedback system.
At the end of each day think what went well and what could be improved.
With the things that went well - can you make them better or can you use the techniques in a different area of your life.
With the things that could be improved - how could you improve them. Is there anything from another area of your life that you could use to improve this area. Ideally write 3 possible options and then the next time the same situation occurs you will have options to come to a different solution.


Day 6 Measurement vs goals  and iterate

Would you like to know the secret of success? The head of IBM Thomas J Watson said if you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate. So you need attempt and reattempt and change each reattempt based on the feedback you receive. So you need to measure where you are against your goals and what you need to do to change.
With your initial goals, break them down into monthly and weekly goals then start doing actions to get there.
I remember Tony Robbins used to smile when everyone said he had a natural talent for public speaking. All the other speakers were presenting a few times a month wheras Tony was presenting a few times a day. So once you know your broken down goals just attempt and reattempt , re-adjusting for each attempt based on feedback.


Day 7 Accountability and Environment

The easiest and quickest way to get where you want to get is to hang out with people who have already got there. This is like an elastic band. If the people around you are better than and you fall behind, just like an elastic band you will spring back to their level. This also works the other way that if the people in your environment are much more negative, they will drag you down.

They also say that you are the average (in terms of money, fitness, happiness, everything) of the 5 people you spend the most time with. Look through the people you spend the most time with. Do they give you energy or take away energy? Do they inspire you or make you feel down?
Ensure that you surround yourself with people who inspire and help you reach your goals

Also find someone and share your goals. Then put a weekly call to ensure that you are accountable to each other. 

I would  love to hear of your successes, challengers and  processors. Please write in the comments to tell me of  your journey! Good luck. Here is to the best year ever.

THE SECRET TO A FULFILLING LIFE

Great article by Melanie Curtin, writing about one of the longest studies on human development, health, well-being and happiness.
You might think you know what would make you happy and fulfilled but the data doesn't lie. This will tell you what you should focus on  for a healthy, wealthy and wise life!

This 80-Year Harvard Study Found the 1 Secret to Leading a Fulfilling Life

Here's some wisdom gleaned from one of the longest longitudinal studies ever conducted.

                                                            Credit: Getty Images

Prioritizing what's important is challenging in today's world. The split focus required to maintain a career and a home, not to mention a Facebook feed, can feel overwhelming.

Enter the science of what to prioritize, when.

For over 80years, Harvard's Grant and Glueck study has tracked the physical and emotional well-being of two populations: 456 poor men growing up in Boston from 1939 to 2014 (the Grant Study), and 268 male graduates from Harvard's classes of 1939-1944 (the Glueck study).

Due to the length of the research period, this has required multiple generations of researchers. Since before WWII, they've diligently analyzed blood samples, conducted brain scans (once they became available), and pored over self-reported surveys, as well as actual interactions with these men, to compile the findings.

The conclusion? According to Robert Waldinger, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, one thing surpasses all the rest in terms of importance:

"The clearest message that we get from this 75-year study is this: Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period."

Not how much is in your 401(k). Not how many conferences you spoke at--or keynoted. Not how many blog posts you wrote or how many followers you had or how many tech companies you worked for or how much power you wielded there or how much you vested at each.

No, the biggest predictor of your happiness and fulfillment overall in life is, basically, love.

Specifically, the study demonstrates that having someone to rely on helps your nervous system relax, helps your brain stay healthier for longer, and reduces both emotional as well as physical pain.

The data is also very clear that those who feel lonely are more likely to see their physical health decline earlier and die younger.

"It's not just the number of friends you have, and it's not whether or not you're in a committed relationship," says Waldinger. "It's the quality of your close relationships that matters."

What that means is this: It doesn't matter whether you have a huge group of friends and go out every weekend or if you're in a "perfect" romantic relationship (as if those exist). It's the quality of the relationships--how much vulnerability and depth exists within them; how safe you feel sharing with one another; the extent to which you can relax and be seen for who you truly are, and truly see another.

According to George Vaillant, the Harvard psychiatrist who directed the study from 1972 to 2004, there are two foundational elements to this: "One is love. The other is finding a way of coping with life that does not push love away."

Thus, if you've found love (in the form of a relationship, let's say) but you undergo a trauma like losing a job, losing a parent, or losing a child, and you don't deal with that trauma, you could end up "coping" in a way that pushes love away.

This is a very good reminder to prioritize not only connection but your own capacity to process emotions and stress. If you're struggling, get a good therapist. Join a support group. Invest in a workshop. Get a grief counselor. Take personal growth seriously so you are available for connection.

Because the data is clear that, in the end, you could have all the money you've ever wanted, a successful career, and be in good physical health, but without loving relationships, you won't be happy.

The next time you're scrolling through Facebook instead of being present at the table with your significant other, or you're considering staying late at the office instead of getting together with your close friend, or you catch yourself working on a Saturday instead of going to the farmer's market with your sister, consider making a different choice.

"Relationships are messy and they're complicated," acknowledges Waldinger. But he's adamant in his research-backed assessment:

"The good life is built with good relationships."

Melanie Curtin: https://www.inc.com/melanie-curtin/want-a-life-of-fulfillment-a-75-year-harvard-study-says-to-prioritize-this-one-t.html

Don't Have These Regrets

Bronnie Ware , an Australian nurse who spent several years caring for patients during the last 12 weeks of their lives, routinely asked her patients if they had ' any regrets  or anything they wanted to do differently'.  She' wrote a book called ' The top 5 regrets of the Dying'. These were:

1. I wish I 'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I hadn't worked so much.
3. I wish I had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I had stayed in  touch with my friends.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

So we should make sure we take action to not have them.